Thursday, March 17, 2011

Breakfast Chorizo Hash

I came up with the recipe for my family's breakfast chorizo hash after going through plenty of moments on "What to do with the leftover potatoes after Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner?" Don't you just hate it when you have tons of potatoes leftovers and no one willing to eat anymore potato side for another day? I am a frugal person. I do not believe in wasting food unless it has gone bad. Probably from all the nagging by grandma when I was young about the less fortunate who has to go through hunger and worse yet famine spells in Africa?

Enough said, recycle the leftover potatoes you must! The challenge in recycling any leftover is to create a brand new dish all by itself, leaving no traces of its previous form. Chorizo Hash is one of the more popular item on the breakfast menu in a diner. Chorizo is a popular spicy Portugese sausage. It has a hot bite to it, thanks to the addition of paprika and other spices. I love the addition of spice into the hash, adding a more robust flavor to the potatoes while the crust from pan frying those potatoes added some crunch to it. If you can't find chorizo, just use any spicy sausage you can find at your grocery store. If you are a vegetarian like my friend, Sherry, just omit the chorizo and make it a vegetarian hash.

A perfect ensemble, if you ask me.

Breakfast Chorizo Hash

Ingredients

1 Chorizo link, diced (about 1/2lb)

4 cups of boiled potatoes from leftover, diced (or you can use your leftover mashed potatoes)

1 small onion, finely diced

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp hot paprika

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Lea&Perrins)

1-2 tsp hot sauce (substitute with hot chilli sauce)

1Tb2 stalks scallion, finely slicedsp vagetable or canola oil

salt and black pepper

a few sprig of fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

Step 1: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add in chorizo and saute till it is golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Step 2: In the same skillet, brown the onion and bell pepper till soft. Add in the garlic and saute for a minute. Add in the Worcestershire, hot sauce and hot paprika. Stir till well combined.

Step 4: Add in the potatoes and chorizo. Stir to combine and flatten the mashed potatoes onto the skillet. Let crust form, about 10 minutes.

Step 5: Flip potatoes over and let crust form on the other side. Add a few drops of oil, if necessary. When hash is almost done, season with salt and pepper.

Step 6: Dish out on a plate and sprinkle chopped scallion over it. Serve with freshly chopped parsley and an egg, if you like.